Kevin Love had an effective Summer League, but is considered by some to be a major injury waiting to happen. An NBA front-office source with a team who worked out Love described him as a "train wreck" physically, pointing to his surgically repaired knee as the biggest point of concern.- RealGM Well this was something I certainly didnt want to hear. I never even considered Love to be an injury concern but I sure hope the front office did their research on this.
I am sure they did the necessary tests and research. But it is a concern for his future. OTOH, guys with that kind of skillset/athleticism are hard to come by. And I don't think Minnesota was wrong in trading/selection/whatever you want to call it ....for Love. Him and Jefferson could be an excellent scoring tandem inside that could really drive the TWolves in the future. Its was worth it IMO.
Scary if true but I can't see how a team would draft him so high without making sure the knee is ok. If the knee really was a "trainwreck", and multiple doctors confirmed it I really doubt he would have even gone in the top 8 let alone top 5. Plus hes not even very athletic to begin with. Hes not a guy who's going to suffer if his athleticism dwindles that much because hes already doing well whilst being at a physical disadvantage most nights. Hes still very, very young too and most guys who do have major knee injuries/surgeries at a young age don't see much of a drop off in athleticism once fully healed. Look at Monta Ellis- supposed to be a lottery pick, GMs freaked out about his knees and he dropped to the 42nd pick in the draft. There have been no problems since and hes one of the elite athletes in the league possessing both top 5 quickness and probably top 10 (or better) hops.
I really hope this isn't true. But I think you're right Vintage. They wouldn't have traded Mayo for him if they thought otherwise.
Here is the original article http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...20/vegas.recap/ <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Still no love for Love If you read this space regularly -- and I know there are at least three of you -- you know that I am not a member of the Kevin Love Fan Club. It's not that I don't see him having a long NBA career; in fact, I think Love can be a serviceable forward for the next 10-12 years. But when you are taken with the fifth pick in the draft (and traded for a potential star like O.J. Mayo), you are expected to be more than a more skilled Bryant Reeves. Statistically speaking, Love acquitted himself well in Las Vegas: In four games, he averaged 18 points and a league-best 13.5 rebounds. He was unquestionably one of the most skilled players on the floor and at times showcased a well-placed mean streak. But dominating Lorenzo Mata-Real is a lot different than picking apart Tim Duncan. "You see all those pump fakes?" an Eastern Conference coach said. "He can do that against this competition. But he tries that [stuff] against Duncan or [Kevin] Garnett and it's going nowhere. At the end of the day, you have to remember he's a 6-8 guy who plays below the rim." Here's something more disconcerting: Love is considered by some to be a major injury waiting to happen. An NBA front-office source with a team who worked out Love described him as a "train wreck" physically, pointing to his surgically repaired knee as the biggest point of concern. Then there is the question of Love's weight. Several league sources I talked to expressed concern that Love, who dropped 15 pounds and reduced his body fat from 15-16 percent to 11-12 percent in the months leading up to the NBA draft, will put that weight back on once the regular season starts. Stay tuned.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Run BJM @ Jul 21 2008, 06:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Scary if true but I can't see how a team would draft him so high without making sure the knee is ok. If the knee really was a "trainwreck", and multiple doctors confirmed it I really doubt he would have even gone in the top 8 let alone top 5.</div> It only takes one doctor to be correct. See SAR right now. The Nets were ridiculed for backing out of a deal to get him because of something that no other doctors saw.
